In the Ashes
by littleREAofsunshine
Summary: After a concerning phone call from his wife, Clint Barton returns home to find an enemy from his past is out to get him and doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon. Rated T because I don't plan on having anything too bad in the story.
1. Chapter 1

Hi! Welcome to the story! I am not exactly sure how this story will go, the summary is just what I have in mind, it is subject to change. Please keep in mind this is my first attempt at writing Fanfiction, so it may not be great.

Enjoy the story!

Disclaimer - Unfortunately, I don't own Hawkeye, the Avengers, or anything to do with Marvel except for a few figurines!

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It started off like any other day. He and the available Avengers had just stopped a arms deal, and everybody was in pretty bad shape. Tony's suit needed some repairs, Steve had a limp, and a bruised rib, Banner was still in shock from hulking out, Natasha had cuts and bruises, Thor was still on Asgard, and Clint could barely walk due to the deep gash in his left leg from debris cutting it when he fell from his perch.

Clint had been keeping an eye on his team from the roof of an old building. As he scanned the area for any threats, he saw an attacker approaching Natasha from behind, in less than a second, there was an arrow in the attacker's throat. He saw Natasha see the arrow in the throat of the attacker that she hadn't seen, and then nod in Clint's direction. But unfortunately, he can only shoot so many arrows before his perch gets discovered and he is a sitting duck. He realized his perch had been discovered when he heard the beeping of an explosive, and suddenly, he was falling. As he fell through the air, he reached out grabbing the edge of a window sill, feeling the sharp pain of a dislocated shoulder.

Of course, the rest of the team had seen the explosion, and he heard them freak out over the coms. But when he heard Steve use his real name, he responded, "I'm fine." not allowing any pain to slip into his voice. After dropping down to the ground, he caught Natasha giving him a questioning look, only she knew how good he was at making his pain. With a quick nod of his head, she was back in Black Widow mode, elegant, cold, and deadly. The team was finally starting to accept that just because he was the most human and least protected, they didn't need to be overprotective of him. It had taken a lot of sparring and completed missions for them to accept it, but it was nice, he could go back to doing his job without a fuss, and so that's what he did.

After Steve announced the completion of the mission, he suddenly felt his emergency phone ring. He felt a sense of dread, very few people knew the number, and it was for emergencies only. When he saw it was from Laura, his wife, he turned his com off. He had considered telling the team about his family, but he knew that it would only make them worry more than necessary, plus it was safer for his family if fewer people knew about the farm. He answered the call to be greeted by the sound of his wife talking frantically,

"Clint, someone is at the farm,"

"Keep an I on the kids," he said his voice barely wavering, "I'm on my way"

He felt a sense of panic come over him as he turned his com back on to a bombardment of only slightly panicked voices asking for him.

"Hawkeye, what's your position?" Steve asked with only a slight tone away from cold professionalism. That is the thing he had noticed about the great Captain America, he was professional and he got the job done, but he was never cold or cruel.

"Coming onto the rendezvous from the North East, won't be riding back with you guys though, I have something I need to do first," he replied coolly.

"Clint, what is going on?" Natacha asked sensing the unease in his voice, "Is something up?"

"I need to check on something at the farm," he replied coldly

"I'll come with you, meet me at the rendezvous."

By the time Clint got to the rendezvous, the rest of the Avengers had already gathered, seeing as they could all either fly or were positioned close to it. As he rode into the clearing on his bike, Natasha hopped on silently only saying "Let's go" before they rode off.

Steve was concerned. He had noticed the dark look in assassins' eyes and the cold tone in both their voices, immediately asking Tony to follow them in the Iron Man suit: "I don't like the look of this," he commented.

"Yeah, me neither," he heard Stark reply before taking off into the sky.

Tony took off without another word and the rest of the team prepared the jet.

* * *

A/N

Well, I will try to update the story, but I am a busy person so no promises. I know this isn't very long, and I will try to improve the length of the chapters, I just wanted to get something out there.

Constructive criticism is appreciated, but please not flat out hate, this is my first story.

If you think I should continue the story, or have any ideas, or any story prompts, let me know.

Until next time, littleREAofsunshine


	2. Chapter 2

A/N

Welcome back! Thank you to everyone who decided to take a peek at this story, it means a lot. A special thanks to _**Y**_ _ **oungPrinceLou**_ for favoriting and following this story, I will try not to let you down! Now on with the story!

Disclaimer - if I owned Avengers or Hawkeye we would already have a Hawkeye movie! So, no, I don't own either

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Chapter 2

After following the pair of assassins for who knows how long, Stark noticed that they were approaching a large clearing that vaguely resembled what you would expect a farm to look like, which didn't surprise him since he recalled Clint saying something about "the farm". A quick glance behind him assured him the quinjet was not too far behind.

On the ground, Clint sped through the forest dodging trees and rocks. Getting closer to the tree line, Clint looked up and saw smoke swirling above the trees, he felt a sense of dread in him, knowing that he might be too late. Making a mental note to thank Stark for the upgrades later, he increased the speed on the bike as much as he could without throwing Nat off.

As he watched Tony from the quinjet, Steve wished he could do more than trail behind like a shadow. As they approached the edge of the treeline, he saw a large farmhouse complete with red paint and haybales and recalled what Barton had said earlier, _I need to check something at the farm._ He realized the building must be the farm and he had assumed it was some top secret SHIELD facility, but now he wasn't so sure, what could a SHIELD facility have that would freak Hawkeye out so much, he thought, recalling the crack in Barton's normally perfect composure and the dark tone his voice had taken on. He was jerked out of his thoughts by the sound of an explosion and looked up just in time to see a figure being thrown back, flying through the air.

Skidding to a stop in front of the house, Natasha and Clint got off the bike as fast as they could, eyes peeled for any threats, "Check the area for any signs of intruders, I'm going to check on Laura and the kids" he ordered in a detached voice. To anyone else, Clint would have sounded cold, uncaring, distant, but Natasha knew he was extremely worried, this was his way of not panicking. She silently began to scout the surrounding area but to no avail. They both knew that if anyone was there they would have left already, but if it put her partner's mind at ease, she would search the area a thousand times over. Something was bothering her, she could have sworn there was smoke earlier, it was why they had been able to get there so fast, and then it hit her like a truck - it was a trap. She immediately turned and started running back to the front of the house, hoping she had figured it out in time.

Watching Nat leave to scout the area, he glanced up at the sky. He saw the quinjet beginning to land, confirming what he had already known, Steve had told the team to follow him. Although he wasn't surprised, he had hoped he would be able to keep this part of his life quiet for just a bit longer. Deciding not to wait for the team, he sprinted towards the house. As he approached the front porch he had just enough time to recognized the all too familiar blinking of an explosive arrow before his world went up in flames.

As Natasha raced towards the house, she saw an explosion set the sanctuary a flame, throwing someone back onto the ground, Clint, she realized, he wasn't inside yet. She felt relief wash over her before she realized no one else was outside the house either. Rushing towards the prone form in front of what was left of the home, she realized Clint was going to be heartbroken, but they might still be time to save them, she chided herself for giving up so fast. She may do many questionable things, but she did not give up. She watched as he tried to stand up, never being one to stay down for long, and saw the flames devouring his home. She barely heard his whispered "no" before he started running. She grabbed his arm in a futile attempt to stop him, but he easily threw it off, fueled by anger and hatred for whoever had done this, as well as desperation and fear for those he loved trapped inside.

Tony had been protected from the blast by distance and his suit. He stared in shock as what had once been a beautiful home was slowly being devoured by flames. He was forced to look down as he heard Natasha frantically trying to keep Clint from running off, but failing. He knew he should be doing something, he knew he should help somehow, but he could only watch as his friend disappeared into the flames.

* * *

A/N

Thank you guys for staying with me, I will try not to let you down!

If you have any suggestions please review and let me know. All constructive critism is appreciated as well as story prompts, advice, and ideas. If you have somewhere you want this to go, review to tell me!

Until next time, LittleREAofsunshine


	3. Chapter 3

Wow! Thank you all for taking a chance with this story, I swear it looks longer in google docs when I am typing it than how it appears on here, so again I apologize for the lack of length.

Thank you soo much **_ELOSHAZZY_** and **_m_** **Klindt** for favoriting this story and to **_ELOSHAZZY, Mistycharming, MyoJBT, bombo71, salwyn77,_** and ** _shadow16350_** for creating alerts for this story

Now, because you don't want to hear me talk, on with the story!

Chapter 3

As he ran into his home, Clint pulled a piece of cloth out of his suit and tied it around his mouth to protect him from inhaling smoke, as panicked as he was, he was still a good agent which meant he still had his self-preservation instincts, well mostly. Just as he passed through the entryway, it burst into flames, causing him to have to dart out of the way. Wasting no time, he began to call out, "Lila! Cooper! Laura!". Clint wasn't the type of guy to pray, but right now all he could do was pray that he would get a response.

"Dad?!" he heard a familiar voice call out, hope starting to rise in him.

Making his way towards the source of the voice, Clint found what he was looking for - his son, half-trapped by an old bookcase. He knew lifting the bookcase would be a problem because of the weight, the issue would be moving the bookcase without anything else falling on Copper.

"Cooper, buddy, I need to lift this, but once I do you need to move as possible to the exit in the kitchen," he said, lifting the cloth from his mouth, "Can you do that for me?"

"Yeah, Dad?" he choked out, "But what about you?"

"I'm going to find your mom and your sister, I'll be fine," he said before preparing to lift the case, "I am going to lift on three then you go," he instructed, "one, two, three, go!"

Using all the strength he could muster, Clint lifted the bookcase and watched as his son ran to safety before continuing his search.

Cooper Barton ran through the house avoiding the fire as best he could. Cooper had been in a lot of scary situations, his dad being gone a lot and all, be he was completely unprepared for the blast that set his house on fire and trapped him under the bookcase.

Cooper had been working on his homework in the living room when he saw something outside. Getting up in hopes that it was his dad, he started to make his way towards the front of the house when things started falling. He tripped over the carpet in the chaos and that was when the bookshelf fell on him.

He was worried about his dad. Everything inside of him was screaming at him to run back to his dad, but he didn't, his dad had told him to get out of the house and his mom had always told him that in case of an emergency to listen to his da, he would know what to do (not like his mom didn't). Cooper let out a sigh of relief when he saw the kitchen door wasn't blocked, but that hope was diminished when the door wouldn't budge no matter how hard he kicked and hit it. So he just kept banging on the door, hoping someone would hear him.

As he ran out of the quinjet, Steve realized how fatal the situation could get if they were not prepared for the worst., "Bruce! Get the medical supplies ready, we may need it," he yelled back before running to Natasha. "Steve, start heading around towards the back, there is a door there he might try to use," she said, not giving him a chance for a greeting. Before he even had the chance to ask what she was doing, she had run off. But all the concerns for Natasha left the front of his mind when he looked back at the building. No one would be able to survive in there much longer. He had nearly made it to the back of the house when suddenly, he heard a soft thumping noise. Anyone without his enhancements would have missed it, but there it was, the distinct sound of someone banging on something. Turning back towards the front of the house, he ran as fast as he could, nearly missing what he was looking for, but there it was, a door, partially blocked by a piece of the roof that had fallen and behind it was a child, no more than eight or nine years old.

No wonder Clint had been so adamant about going into the house, he thought, there was a child in it. If there was anything he knew about Clint Barton, it was that he was very protective of children, which was surprising for a man like him. It wasn't like there was anything wrong with Clint, it was just that he often seemed cold or distant, not really the parental type.

Steve was about to kick the door in when he realized how much damage it could cause if he kicked too hard. Deciding not to risk it, he moved the fallen roof piece out of the way and quickly pried the door open revealing the boy.

"Please, you have to go get my dad, he's still in there," the boy coughed out.

"Don't worry, son, I'll go try to find him," Steve replied as calmly as he could, "You head to the front, my team can help you", and with that, the boy took off running towards the front of the house only looking back for a glance at the man who had freed him.

A/N

Again, I will try to make the chapters longer, but you guys might have to wait a little longer, so tell me if you want me to write longer chapters with a slower update rate or keep shorter chapters with a little faster updating


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**

 **Hi, guys, I know it has been a really long time, but I've been in a bit of a slump. This is a bit of a filler chapter, and I really need you guys' advice. Should Clint save his family directly, or should the rest of the team, I have a little bit of an idea for each one, but I don't know which one to use. Life has gotten soooo busy so I'll do my best but I still can't promise any updates on a schedule.**

 **And OMG you guys don't know how great it feels to see how many people have read my story, Thank you all for the reviews and the follows, and the favorites!**

 **Disclaimer: Blah Blah Blah I Blah Blah Blah don't blah blah blah own blah blah blah anything**

 **Because it is too late, or too early, not sure, it is 1:30 a.m, on with the story!**

Inside the house, Clint continued to frantically search for his family. Looking behind every nook and crevice calling out as he goes. He could feel the smoke getting to him. He was becoming dizzy and disoriented, barely able to walk without stumbling. Suddenly, he found himself with his face next to the floor, and an unpleasant tingling sensation in his hand. _That isn't right_ , he realized looking over to see the flames dance around his hand. Quickly snatching his hand from the flames, he used years of training to block out the pain assaulting his fingers. _I need to hurry,_ he realized, _if this is my state after being in here a few minutes, Laura and Lila don't have much longer. Nor does Cooper if he didn't make it out._ He suddenly felt a wave guilt wash over him, _he should have never left Cooper, he should have made sure he got out in time, was it worth the risk to go back for him now_. Clint tried to stand up but ended up just aggravating his hand, causing him to collapse back onto the floor. Thinking about his family, Clint let the darkness take him.

Laura Barton knew that her husband's line of work was dangerous, she knew _her_ life was dangerous. She knew fear, she felt it every time it was Nick Fury or Phil Coulson who greeted her at the door instead of her husband, she felt it every time he walked out the door, not knowing if he would be coming back home. But never, had she ever felt so afraid, cradling her daughter close to her chest, knowing she had no way out, this is the end, _Clint can't save us this time_ , she thought, scolding herself for the negative thoughts. They had gotten lucky, there wasn't much smoke near them, they were trapped by furniture in between a dresser and a window, the window was locked, she couldn't open it, but the furniture kept the smoke out. Everything inside of her wanted to let go, to give to the lull of unconscious, but she held on. She held on for her little girl unconscious in her arms, she held on for her son who she prayed had found a way out of the house and was waiting for someone to find him, to help him, she held on for her husband who risked everything so she could have her shot at happiness, who was willing to give up his life as a superhero for their family. She held on for Clint Barton who was finally learning to trust again, who's unmovable walls were finally beginning to come back down, who was finally learning to trust himself. She held on because if she didn't, the man she loved, the man who had lost too much, would finally have lost everything, and she didn't think he could take losing anymore.

 **A/N**

 **Yes, I know this is like really ridiculously short, but please let me know, should Clint wake up and save his family, or should the team save them?**

 **Until Next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**

 **OMG! Thank you all for reading. This chapter is still a little short, but I was having some computer issues and wanted to update.**

 **Special thank you to** _TORI Of LORIEN_ **for helping me figure out where to take this. Next chapter we will most likely get a little more time with the rest of the team**

 **I own nothing except the OC who I named using a name generator**

 **Because it is way too late: TO THE STORY**

Tony didn't know what to do. He had saved the world multiple times. He had fought off aliens, robots, HYDRA, and plenty of other threats, so this one house fire should be nothing. But, this one house had somehow convinced Clint to run into a burning building. Deep down Tony knew that he wasn't surprised. Deep down he knew he was worried because after Loki, the archer seemed to have some sort of death wish, jumping off dangerously tall buildings, always taking dangerous for SHIELD when he wasn't doing Avengers related things. Deep down he knew that Clint Barton needed help, not that he would ever accept it, and deep down he knew that the Avengers should be doing more to help their comrade when what they were really doing was avoiding him.

He hated to admit it, but other than Natasha, none of the Avengers truly trusted him. _But could you blame them_ , he thought, the first time they met he was trying to kill them. They knew it wasn't his fault, it was Loki's, but they were still wary. They could never tell if something was wrong with him because they never really knew him. Sure, they knew Hawkeye or Agent Barton, but none of them really knew Clint. That was going to have to be fixed he thought as he flew into the sky to look for any suspects.

ALAKAZAM ALAKAZAM ALAKAZAM ALAKAZAM ALAKAZAM

Barney Barton was enjoying the scene from the trees, he'd have to thank his partner for the tech that kept him hidden from even the keenest of eyes. He had planted exploding arrows all around the house and made sure to put one where Clint could see it, he wanted Clint to know that his own arrows had killed his world - his family.

He had seen the Black Widow run past him and around his area, but his tech had not failed, he was as good as gone, invisible, it was like he was never there, except for the burning building and all, but still, it would never be traced back to him.

He hadn't expected the rest of the Avengers to be there, he knew his brother, and Clint didn't let people into his life easily, well it's been quite a few years, but some things just don't change. He had known to expect the Widow, but not Stark, or Captain Rogers. He knew enough about them, but he didn't like the unexpected, not like it would affect anything anyways.

Now he was just waiting. He had sent his comrade in while the rest of the Avengers were running around to go collect his _dear_ brother. But silently, he hoped that maybe at least the kids got out. Yes, the girl, Laura, needed to die, it would break Clint, but the kids were related to him, even if they were only nieces and nephews.

He had been so distracted in his thoughts he hadn't even noticed his partner coming up behind him with his brother in his arms, "Barton, let's go!" he all but shouted to get his attention, and off they went. If he enjoyed watching his brother being dragged through the mud, he didn't say anything, just let the smile spread over his face. This was going to be fun.

ALAKAZAM ALAKAZAM ALAKAZAM ALAKAZAM ALAKAZAM

Clint woke up sitting on is knees, his head feeling muddled and unfocused, god he hated drugs. He had been stripped down to just his pants, whoever was holding him did not want him to get out easily. He tried to stand up, but was cut short by a short chain connecting his wrist to his legs behind his back, and another one connecting his legs to the floor. Whoever was in charge of this operation was either paranoid, or knew him, but neither option bode well for him. Then it hit him, the mission, the farm, his kids, Laura. This was definitely personal, so much for the boss being paranoid.

He scanned through his mind, going through anyone who could be after him. There were a lot of options, he had been in the business too long to have a short list of people who wanted him dead. Funny enough, none of them were his targets. None of his targets lived to know who had killed him, but he had a very specific MO, and his targets had plenty of smart friends. Of course, no one knew who he was, but they knew of Hawkeye.

He scanned the room in an attempt to formulate an escape plan or a way to get an advantage. But there were no windows or furniture, it was just him inside a concrete box with a door. The door even had a push in handle so that it could only be accessed from the outside, he could use that to his advantage. _If I can get enough of them in here, I can trap them_ , _then I will have fewer people to deal with._

His thoughts were interrupted by the door slamming shut. _Soundproof walls,_ he thought, _I should have heard the door open_.

Two figures approached, one a little bit more forward than the other, _that is the one in charge,_ he guessed. When the footsteps stopped, unable to do anything else, he lifted his eyes. He stiffened and felt his eyes go wide when he realized who was standing in front of him.

"Long time no see, _Brother_ "

"Barney" he replied, keeping his voice cold.

"Clint, you know, you are a hard man to find," he said, his tone casual, " But I've been waiting a long time to find you. You see I owe it all to my good friend over here," he gestured to the other man in the room," without him, you would most likely be impossible to find"

"Barney Barton being modest, the world must be ending" he snarked

"No, I just know when to accept help", he said sharply, "Speaking if my partner, let me introduce you to Aries Phillips.

"You see," he chuckled, "Aries here has a bit of bone to pick with you-"

"Do you know who Malcolm Phillips is?" Aries cut in.

Clint stiffened. He knew exactly who Malcolm Phillips was - he had killed him.

 **A/N**

 **Let me know what you think in the reviews. Also, I am always open to prompts for stories, just let me know**

 **Until next time**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**

 **Hello! Welcome back. I know it has been a while, but I finally updated. yay!**

 **Thank you all who have actually read to this point and not given up. It means a lot.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own MARVEL or these characters, except Malcolm Phillips**

 **Leave a review please!1**

FLASHBACK FLASHBACK FLASHBACK

Clint waited on the rooftop as he scanned the street for his target. He had been perched in the same spot with his bow since 4:30 that morning, it was 11:30. He was perched on a rooftop by a cafe that his target reportedly went to often.

He had gotten there early in the hopes that the target would stop by for breakfasts — it is easier to shoot someone in the crack of dawn in the morning than in the busy midday lunch rush.

"Hey, Squawks, do think maybe Phillips died in a car crash on the way here?"

 _Haha, very funny, we can hope_ , came the reply from Phil Coulson, his handler.

People who knew him, Phil and Tasha, knew that he was actually a very impatient person. Patience was something he learned on the job. He would sit in the same position for over 48 hours before getting a shot sometimes. now, he was a master of patience, but only on the job. When he was off the job, which was rare, he couldn't stand sitting around doing nothing, unless he was watching a good movie/ TV show. That was one of the many reasons he was a good chef, he stress cooked.

Days like these were when has patience came in handy.

Malcolm Phillips was a man who valued adventure. His daily meal schedule changed every day except for one aspect: La Guarderia. Every Tuesday afternoon he ate at La Guarderia at 12:15 in the afternoon. And sometimes, he would eat there in the morning too, but not today. And every Tuesday afternoon, he was dropped off at the restaurant in bulletproof Mercedes Benz. That was the issue, making the shot before he got into the restaurant but after he got out of the car, so he would keep waiting until the moment was just right.

 _Hey, Hawk, taking a siesta up there?_

"Only dreaming of getting a good nap when we get back to base," he countered, "You can tell that new stiff Hill to leave me alone"

 _I think I'll leave the threatening to you_

"What, scared of a brunette"

 _Pay attention, Hawk_

He chuckled before checking his watch to make sure he hadn't dozed off. Sure, he had a pretty good internal clock, but that didn't stop him from dozing off occasionally. It rarely happened, but it had before.

12:00

Fifteen minutes to go.

When the car pulled up, he knew it was his target.

Black and limo-like, the car screamed high society, just like Malcolm Phillips.

Malcolm Phillips was a wealthy, middle-aged man who had a knack for weapons dealing. He was well known on the black market and had recently earned himself a place on SHIELD's radar when a string of bombings had been connected back to him.

He took his aim as Phillips's valet opened the car door.

"Squawks, I've got eyes on the target and a clear shot"

 _Take the shot, Hawkeye_

He squeezed released the arrow and watched as Phillips fell to the ground.

Normally he would have used his custom sniper rifle, but SHIELD had wanted for Hawkeye to keep up appearances in case he ever had to do undercover work as, well, himself.

"Target down, heading to the safe house," he said

 _Okay, I'll meet you here and we will head home_

He flinched a little bit, he couldn't explain it, but for some reason, the word 'home' bothered him. Maybe it was because it reminded him of the people who had betrayed him, he tried not to think about too much, leave it to the shrinks.

He was halted in his retreat by an ear piercing scream.

He looked back and saw a young boy, not young enough to forget, but young enough to care, running to the now dead man screaming "Father! Dad!"

"Phil, you didn't tell me his kid was going to be there"

 _There wasn't supposed to be any kids there, Clint, we'll figure it out just get out of there._

Clint didn't have to be told twice, he made it back to the safe house to be greeted by an oddly calm Phil Coulson. That was a weird thing, Phil Coulson never seemed to panic, it was calming and stressful at the same time.

"Were you followed?" he heard his handler ask

"No, I'm not a complete noob, plus, everyone was busy focusing on the dead body in the middle of the street" he snapped, "We should have done it somewhere secluded, less populated"

"I know, but it was the only place we knew he would be for certain"

"Yes, but we could have waited, maybe then that kid wouldn't have just watched one of his parents die"

Phil sighed. He knew why this was so important to Clint, it was too personal. No matter how much you hated your parents, or how bad they were, you don't get over seeing them die, Clint knew that from experience.

"We'll be more careful next time," he responded softly

"I know, let's just go back to base"

And so they went. Not worrying about the mission, but never really forgetting either. All his missions with Phil as his handler were precisely planned with Clint there for advice. That was what he liked about Phil, he cared. To Phil he wasn't just an asset or a weapon, he was a person. Phil was kind without ever being too nice, he was real. He trusted Clint and Clint trusted him. Nothing could break that.

END FLASHBACK END FLASHBACK END FLASHBACK

Steve Rogers went into the house not really knowing what he was looking for. Sure the kid had said his dad was in the house but nothing else. He didn't know if there was anyone else, a mother? Any siblings? It didn't really matter anyway, he needed to get everyone out, but how was he supposed to know when everyone was out.

He moved through the ruins of what had once been a beautiful home. Now, it was mostly burnt wood and embers. There were still some fires, but he didn't have anything to put them out with so he moved on.

Steve worked through the first floor of the house finding nothing before moving back to the stairs. He hesitated, what if the were unstable, he couldn't risk the stairs collapsing, but he needed to get upstairs, so he went being as swift and light as he could before he reached the top.

He maneuvered between furniture and fallen structures in an attempt to find anyone.

"Hello," he shouted, "anybody up here"

It was in moments like this Steve was thankful for the serum, he wouldn't have been able to stay in the house without it.

"We're in here!" he heard someone rasp, "In the bedroom"

First Steve thought, How am I supposed to know where the bedroom is, before just deciding to follow the voice. He worked his way through and finally found the room after a few dead ends. Opening the door, he saw a dresser that had toppled over, landing on a wall next to a window, and underneath it, a woman holding a little girl. He was filled with relief, they both appeared to be alive. He raced over to the pair asking first if anyone else was there, and second if they could get out the window.

"My son," she coughed," my son is here"

"It's okay, he is outside, what about the window"

"Jammed"

He moved over to the window, smashing it knowing there wasn't a better option.

"Stark!" he yelled, "get over here"

Fortunately, the billionaire had been close enough to hear, or at least see him and came around to the window.

"What's up Cap?"

"I need you to fly these people to the quinjet so Bruce can look over them"

"Like, out the window?"

"Yes"

"Okay" he sighed, "Hand them over"

Steve gestured for the woman to come over and still grasping the little girl, she made his way over to Steve.

"I need you to trust me and let him carry you," he stated, "We have a doctor waiting to look you guys over"

The women hesitated, glancing at Stark before looking at her daughter and back, "Okay"

Steve pick the women up and handed her to Stark and then watched as they flew away. He breathed in the fresh air before turning around. He wanted to do one last sweep of the house, just in case.

Steve was still puzzled. He didn't understand what this place was. He had thought it was a SHIELD building, but why would there be kids there. He understood that the women could be an agent, he still couldn't grasp the idea of women in combat, but the kids he didn't understand.

He was about to leave the house when something caught his eye - a wallet like thing on the ground.

He picked it up and was surprised by what he saw inside:

Two photos, side by side. The first of what looked like Phil Coulson and a younger man, he couldn't be older than 25. He looked closer and realized he recognized those sharp eyes; It was Barton, a younger Barton for sure, but it was him. Once he realized who it was, the most shocking thing was the expression on his face: he was smiling. Not his normal Stepford smile, but a real, true smile. Coulson appeared to be the only reason Clint hadn't collapsed, Barton was leaning heavily on him, but he was smiling. (if someone would draw this, it would be great). The two looked like they had just been told a really funny joke, but more importantly, they looked close. Steve had always been for 'No man left behind', but he had always been a little confused by Coulson's determination to find Barton during the New York Invasion. If the photo held any say, it would say the two were close, really close. That might help explain Barton's disconnect after the events of New York; he was mourning.

The second photo was a photo of what appeared to be the three people he had just seen, but also younger. It was definitely the woman he had just seen, but the kids were not as recognizable. The girl was just a baby, and the boy a toddler, both close to their mother.

Steve quickly closed the wallet like thing and put it into his pocket before leaving through and broken window. As he left, he couldn't help but wonder _who are these people_.

 **A/N**

 **Hello again.**

 **Thanks for checking out this chapter I appreciate it a lot.**

 **Leave a review to let me know what you think**


	7. Author's Update

**A/N**

 **Okay, so this isn't an actual update it is to let you guys know what is going on.**

 **So I started writing this story without really any plan. I knew kind of what I wanted to happen but I had no plan after a certain point. I still have some stuff to write for this but then I am going to take some time to figure out where I want it to go and work on other stories.**

 **I currently have two other Avenger stories in the works that I haven't published but I do have a plan for and am in the process of writing. I also have Newsies and Criminal Minds stories being typed up. And on top of that, I am working on Harry Potter and The Flash one-shot type of fics.**

 **If any of those sound interesting to anyone who has been reading those stories, be on the lookout for those. This story probably will not be updated for a while.**

 **Also, I am about to go out of town for multiple weeks and will not have my computer, only my phone, so I will write just not quickly.**

 **I do plan on finishing this story, it won't be anything exciting most likely, but I might come back and rewrite it. If any of you have any tips for getting over writer's block or a lack of inspiration let me know. Also, suggestions and prompts give me something to start with, please give me some!**

 **Much love, littleREAofsunshine**


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